A blue-ribbon commission is calling for changes to the governance structure of the Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC) in order to protect the academic integrity of the institution.

The governance report released by the independent commission April 9 notes that RMCC is a university and a military academy providing both officer training and academic education. Governance of the institution has traditionally blended both military and academic cultures, but concerns have been raised in recent years about the weakening power of the academic wing.

“Academic integrity based on the underlying values of academic freedom and critical thinking seemingly conflicts with the notions of command that inform military decision-making,” the report says. “However, the role of developing and using critical thinking skills and freedom of inquiry are important elements of the military profession and to the exercise of command. They should be developed simultaneously early in an officer’s career.”

In its investigation, the commission found a worrisome lack of “authority and autonomy” of the academic component of the institution.

“Under the current governance structure the academic faculty does not have full control over the budget that is allocated to it, nor does it have adequate control over personnel and program decisions,” the commission concludes.

“(T)he co-existence of academic and military cultures requires that a suitable degree of academic independence be accorded to the RMCC academic community,” it recommends. “(T)he Commandant and Principal ought to be seen as partners in a collaborative relationship, rather than as two individuals in which hierarchy alone commands their relationship.”

CAUT executive director James Turk welcomed the report and called for the Department of National Defense and the administration of RMCC to adopt the report’s recommendations.

“It is widely recognized that a fundamental pillar of the governance of all universities is that academic staff must play a central role in setting and making educational policies,” he said. “As the report indicates, we should expect no less from RMCC nor is this inconsistent with its tradition and past practice.”

The commission’s report also highlights steps to be taken to address concerns over a lack of due process in filling academic positions, the absence of university control over promotions, and the non-existence of tenure for professors.

It recommends RMCC adopt processes for hiring, promotion and tenure that are “consistent with the procedures used at other Canadian universities.”

The independent commission was created by CAUT in September 2012 to examine the governance of RMCC, consider alternative models of military college governance and make recommendations. Members of the commission were Dr. Robin Boadway, David Chadwick Chair in Economics at Queen’s University, LCol (retired) Steve Nash (Infantry, Royal Canadian Regiment), and Dr. Elinor Sloan, professor of international relations at Carleton University.